How to upgrade your plant to meet food safety standards
If your plant is more than 30 years old, chances are it needs some work if it’s to meet current regulations and pass muster with food safety and customer audits
Just like an older home, an aging food plant can have its share of problems. If your roof leaks, or there’s a hole in the wall in which cold air and critters could come through—or your front door loses all its weather stripping—you’d be on it in no time. These situations are even more problematic for an older food and beverage facility, especially where food safety is concerned.
If your plant engineer doesn’t routinely check for facility problems, plant conditions have a way of deteriorating quickly. And in a food plant, many of these problems aid bacterial growth if not expediently fixed. Knowing which things to check is a good place to start, such as water stains on the ceiling or walls; standing water; excessive dirt or dust on or around grills; unsealed wall or ceiling penetrations; improper door closure; improper area pressurization; dirt, dust or residual product on equipment, support frames or cabinets; personnel and materials flow paths; personnel gowning and hygiene practices; and your cleaning procedures—to name a few.